TBI – Survivors, Caregivers, Family, and Friends

Posts tagged ‘Brain Injury Radio Network’

Survivors SPEAK OUT! Jordan Fallert

Survivors SPEAK OUT!     Jordan Fallert

by

Donna O’Donnell Figurski

Jordan Fallert

1. What is your name? (last name optional)

My name is Jordan Fallert.

2. Where do you live? (city and/or state and/or country) Email (optional)

I live in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.

3. On what date did you have your brain injury? At what age?

I got my brain injury on February 5th, 2021. I was 23 years old.

4. How did your brain injury occur?

I got my TBI (traumatic brain injury) from a car crash around 5:30 on a Friday. I had just left work to go home to study for a test for my master’s degree. Studying

5. When did you (or someone) first realize you had a problem?

What saved my life was that a fire truck had responded to a fire on that same road. They were told their backup was no longer needed. Their captain (who was in an SUV, not the fire truck) saw the crash happen. I was unconscious on impact, and they had to use the “Jaws of Life” to get me out of the car. After I was rescued, they took me straight to the hospital to have emergency surgery. I was in a coma for six weeks. I slowly gained consciousness and became aware pretty quickly that I was in the hospital, but I had no idea why. That was my biggest indication that something was wrong. Also, I couldn’t walk, and I had extreme right-side weakness.

6. What kind of emergency treatment, if any, did you have?

After I was rescued from my car and in the ambulance, the firemen realized very quickly I was having extreme difficulty breathing. I was hit on a road that had a speed limit of 45 mph. I was turning onto the road and going about 12 mph, and the other driver was speeding and going over 60 mph. Even though I was going so slowly, the force of the impact caused my diaphragm to rupture, my lungs to push on my stomach, and my stomach to push on my heart. Once I was at the hospital, I was immediately taken to the trauma floor. I was in surgery for about six hours.

7. Were you in a coma? If so, how long?

I was in a self-induced coma for about six weeks.

8. Did you do rehab? What kind of rehab (i.e., inpatient or outpatient and occupational and/or physical and/or speech and/or other)? How long were you in rehab?

Yes. I did a lot of rehab. I was in the hospital for about four months. As soon as I was conscious, they began putting me into rehab. I did speech, occupational, and physical therapies. After I was released from the hospital, I stayed with my mom in a house on the hospital campus and did intense outpatient therapy. And when I came home, I did more therapies at a hospital near me. It’s difficult to say how long I was in rehab, but I would guess about nine months.

9. What problems or disabilities, if any, resulted from your brain injury
(e.g., balance, perception, personality, etc.)?  wearing-specs-retro-cartoon-girl-teen-vector-illustration-148518868

My vision is one of my biggest problems so far. I go to a neuro-ophthalmologist to help combat my double vision. I have had some personality changes that my mom would probably agree with. But I would consider a lot of these “personality changes” to be normal for a very intelligent 24-year-old who had the whole world going for her. Someone else’s actions took that away. I also lost my independence.

10. How has your life changed? Is it better? Is it worse?

My life has changed, but I wouldn’t say it’s better or worse; it’s just different. (I personally have really tried my best to think like that.) My life has changed in that I have to rely on people a lot more than I am comfortable with. I got a car for my 16th birthday (almost ten years ago), so I’ve always been able to go places and do things without having to ask other people for rides and things like that. It feels like I was knocked down a peg or two.

11. What do you miss the most from your pre-brain-injury life?

This is a bit of a complicated question for me. My life was in such a weird place when my crash happened. Courses all went online because of COVID. I had to come home–exactly from my undergrad degree. I continued with a job where I had my internship at, but I hardly saw my friends because of COVID. They were all in different cities in the US, and we couldn’t really travel. So I guess what I really miss are my college years because those are the most recent and foremost in my mind. Because of the accident, I have retrograde amnesia. So I don’t remember anything from about two years before.

12. What do you enjoy most in your post-brain-injury life?

Jordan Fallert & CavapooBefore my accident, I was on a breeder list to get a cavapoo puppy. I was sixth on the list, and a litter was born in May 2021. Some people skipped on this litter of two (the Tom and Jerry litter), so I was able to have my choice. I chose Tom and renamed him Brew. He has been my saving grace after my brain injury. He’s my best friend and constant companion. I don’t know what I’d do without him.

13. What do you like least about your brain injury?

I don’t like feeling weak. This right-side weakness has been an uphill battle to deal with. But it’s getting better.

14. Has anything helped you to accept your brain injury?

My parents have really been my saving grace. They have never given up on me and never make me feel like I am limited. If I want to do something, they encourage me and help me do it.

15. Has your injury affected your home life and relationships and, if so, how?

I continue to live with my parents since my brain injury. I was living with them before due to COVID. My parents have been nothing but great. But I have had a lot of friendships wither and decay, which has been hard in and of itself.

16. Has your social life been altered or changed and, if so, how?

Yes and no. I didn’t have a social life before the accident because of COVID. After the crash and when I came home, I had some friends come see me at my house, but they slowly drifted away. It’s hard when you can’t drive, so you are always having to ask others to drive up to see you or drive you somewhere.

17. Who is your main caregiver? Do you understand what it takes to be a caregiver?

My main caregivers are my mom and my dad. I do not understand–and hope to never understand–what it takes to be a caregiver. I just know that they are the strongest individuals I know.

18. What are your plans? What do you expect/hope to be doing ten years from now?

My plans are very fluid and always changing. I recently (less than a month ago) got my license, and last week, I was able to buy my own car. With these changes, my attitude and outlook have drastically improved. I feel like I can conquer the world if I have this outlook. A Traumatic Brain Injury won’t keep me down and will not limit me. I won’t let it!    R

19. Are you able to provide a helpful hint that may have taken you a long time to learn, but which you wished you had known earlier? If so, please state what it is to potentially help other survivors with your specific kind of brain injury.

I was always angry that my brain couldn’t heal faster, but my mom kept reminding me that it’s not like a broken bone. It’s an organ that controls your entire body, so give it time to heal.

20. What advice would you offer to other brain-injury survivors? Do you have any other comments that you would like to add?

Don’t take your anger out on your caregiver(s). They want to help you get your life back. Hug everyone tighter, and tell them you love them. A brain injury will only limit you if you let it.

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Brain Injury Resources~Book Review “Now One Foot, Now the Other”

Brain Injury Resources …

“Now One Foot, Now the Other”

by author/illustrator Tomie dePaola

presented by

Donna O’Donnell Figurski

 

Now One Foot, Now the Other

Now One Foot, Now the Other by author/illustrator, Tomie dePaola

Now One Foot, Now the Other by Tomie dePaola is one of my favorite books. I love all of Tomie’s books, but this one touches the heart.

My husband, David, had a traumatic brain injury in 2005 and, like Bob, had to relearn to walk. I guess I was my husband’s “Bobby” as I helped David to learn to walk again.

This book is so important in helping a child understand what happened to grandpa (grandma, anyone) when they suffer a debilitating brain injury. It is even an eye-opener for adults.

I highly recommend this book to any audience.

P.S. I once had drinks with Tomie dePaola and my friend, Paula Danziger, (author of the Amber Brown books) at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City while attending an SCBWI conference. (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators)

Get Your Copy Now

Read It! Review It! Listen to It!

Click Links under Book

PAPERBACK!   Read it Now!     e-BOOK!   Read it Now!

AUDIO BOOK Listen to it Now!

Stay Safe and Healthy!

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(Photos compliments of contributor.)

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Caregivers SPEAK OUT! . . . . Roxanne Greene

Caregivers SPEAK OUT! Roxanne Greene

presented by

Donna O’Donnell Figurski

Roxanne Greene – Caregiver for a survivor of brain injury

1. What is your name? (last name optional)

Roxanne Greene

  1. Where do you live? (city and/or state and/or country) Email? (optional)

Wichita, Kansas, USA

  1. What is the brain-injury survivor’s relationship to you? How old was the survivor when he/she had the brain injury? What caused your survivor’s brain injury?

My husband was 35 years old when he developed sepsis due to an unknown infection. While he was at the hospital for that, the doctors discovered the presence of three frontal lobe brain tumors. My husband’s brain lost oxygen as they were trying to save my husband’s life. He also had a secondary brain injury – brain swelling – after brain surgery.

  1. On what date did you begin care for your brain-injury survivor? Were you the main caregiver? Are you now? How old were you when you began care?

I began as my husband’s caregiver on February 13 2007 – the day I took him to the Emergency Room. I was his main caregiver then, and I still am now. I was 38 years old at the beginning of this journey – 12 years ago.

  1. Were you caring for anyone else at that time (e.g., children, parents, etc.)

My husband and I had four young children – ages 3-12 at the time.

  1. Were you employed at the time of your survivor’s brain injury? If so, were you able to continue working?

I was not employed at the time. I was a stay-at-home mom.

  1. Did you have any help? If so, what kind and for how long?

I was very blessed to have a lot of support. My husband’s parents were able to help, and I had other friends and family that came alongside me – helping with the children, meals, or house, etc.

  1. When did your support of the survivor begin (e.g., immediately – in the hospital; when the survivor returned home; etc.)?

The support began the minute we arrived at the hospital. Our pastors met us there shortly after we arrived. During my husband’s entire hospital stay and even through rehab, I always had someone with me.

  1. Was your survivor in a coma? If so, what did you do during that time?

Yes. My husband was in a coma about 5-6 weeks. He woke up very slowly and had to learn everything all over again. It was a very challenging time for the both of us. I was there as his cheerleader – cheering him on. It was hard to have a balance between caring for my husband and taking care of the children. I was very overwhelmed at times, but again, family support was crucial to my husband’s success.

  1. Did your survivor have rehab? If so, what kind of rehab (i.e., inpatient and/or outpatient and occupational, physical, speech, and/or other)? How long was the rehab? Where were you when your survivor was getting therapy?

Yes. My husband had inpatient rehab for about a month, and then he transitioned to in-home rehabilitation, where the therapist would come into the home to do therapy. My husband had physical, occupational, and speech therapies and even counseling. He was in intensive therapy for about a year, and he had outpatient cognitive therapy off and on for another year?

11. What problems or disabilities of your brain-injury survivor required your care, if any?

My husband’s brain injury caused him to become aggravated easily. He has had memory problems and also issues with communication. I had to watch him when he was around the children in the beginning. He was totally dependent on me for everything. I was like a single mother – I paid the bills, and I took care of the house, cars, etc.

  1. How has your life changed since you became a caregiver? Is it better? Is it worse?

My life has changed drastically. My husband and I both say our new marriage started February 13th, 2007. He was then, and is now, a different person. We had to figure out how to be married again to each other as new people. It has been good because our love is stronger than before. It has also been very difficult because this is not what I pictured for my future. I have moments of self-pity and sometimes wish it could be the way it was. Those moments are fleeting, and I know I have so much to look forward to.

  1. What do you miss the most from pre-brain-injury life?

I miss my husband’s going to work every day. I miss his doing projects around the house. I miss his being able to be the protector and the provider that he once was. I miss being a stay-at-home mom and spending one-on-one time with the children (even though most are grown now).

  1. What do you enjoy most in post-brain-injury life?

My husband and I get to spend more time together. My husband is more loving than before. Before injury, he worked a lot and was not home as often.

  1. What do you like least about brain injury?

I miss having more financial freedom. I sometimes don’t like having to do everything, including all the paperwork that goes into maintaining a home. I have to organize all of my husband’s doctor appointments, medications, and dealings with SSDI (Social Security disability insurance). It can get so overwhelming sometimes that I just want to cry.

  1. Has anything helped you to accept your survivor’s brain injury?

Accepting the reality of my husband’s condition has helped. It is what it is. There is nothing I can do to change what happened to my husband. I decided I can either wallow in self-pity or pick up my feet and move forward. I have also read many books on brain injuries and educated myself through this journey. The one thing I wish for is a brain injury support group for caregivers. I know I am not alone.

17. Has your survivor’s injury affected your home life and relationships and, if so, how?

Yes. I have become the main parent and disciplinarian, as my husband cannot parent without getting overwhelmed and angry. He has improved, but the children, even as adults, come to me for advice.

  1. Has your social life been altered or changed and, if so, how?

We both had close friends before my husband’s brain injury. We would go out and socialize and have people over often. Now we still have friends, but we rarely have anyone over to our house. We go out with family once in a while, and my husband has a few friends that will invite him to lunch once a month. It sometimes happens that my husband will not make the most appropriate comment.

  1. What are your plans? What do you expect/hope to be doing ten years from now?

I am a grandparent now, which brings a new set of challenges. My plans are to continue my education. I am in school to become an ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter for the deaf. I had to go back to work to increase our income just so we could pay the bills. I would love to travel some, but I am not sure if that will ever become a reality, as I have to work full-time.

  1. What advice would you offer other caregivers of brain-injury survivors? Do you have any other comments that you would like to add?

Roxanne Greene – Caregiver

Even though your life has changed, remember you are stronger than you realize. I look back and think of how much I have accomplished and learned about myself during this time. I am not sure I would have gone back to school if my husband had not become ill. Caregivers have been giving a gift that most people never get to experience. We get to see miracles every day as our loved ones fight to improve their lives. It’s a humbling thing to be a part of such a journey.

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Caregivers SPEAK OUT: . . . Author, Abby Maslin

Caregivers SPEAK OUT: Author, Abby Maslin

presented by

Donna O’Donnell Figurski – author

Prisoners without Bars: A Caregiver’s Tale

 

Caregiver, Abby Maslin – author of “Love You Hard”

 

 

1. What is your name? (last name optional)

Abby Maslin

2. Where do you live? (city and/or state and/or country) Email? (optional)

Washington, DC, USA

3. What is the brain-injury survivor’s relationship to you? How old was the survivor when he/she had the brain injury? What caused your survivor’s brain injury?

My husband, TC, is the TBI (traumatic brain injury) survivor. He was 29 at the time of the assault that caused his injury.

4. On what date did you begin care for your brain-injury survivor? Were you the main caregiver? Are you now? How old were you when you began care?

I became my husband’s full-time caregiver on August 18, 2012. I had just celebrated my 30th birthday.

5. Were you caring for anyone else at that time (e.g., children, parents, etc.)?

I had a 21-month-old son, named Jack, whom I was also caring for at the time.

6. Were you employed at the time of your survivor’s brain injury? If so, were you able to continue working?

I was employed as a fourth-grade teacher. TC’s injury occurred the weekend before school started. I was not able to return to work for a year.

7. Did you have any help? If so, what kind and for how long?

We had family members who lived nearby and who offered intermittent help. My parents were both ill, however, and unable to help in any large capacity.

8. When did your support of the survivor begin (e.g., immediately – in the hospital; when the survivor returned home; etc.)?

Immediately. It began as I was tasked with advocating for TC’s medical care.

9. Was your survivor in a coma? If so, what did you do during that time?

Yes. TC was in a deep coma for about four days, but he took more than two weeks to fully come out of it.

10. Did your survivor have rehab? If so, what kind of rehab (i.e., inpatient and/or outpatient and occupational, physical, speech, and/or other)? How long was the rehab? Where were you when your survivor was getting therapy?

Yes. TC received all the therapies: speech, occupational, and physical. He received occupational and physical therapies for about one year. He received speech for more than two years.

Love You Hard by Abby Maslin

11. What problems or disabilities of your brain-injury survivor required your care, if any?

TC had severe aphasia (struggles with both expressive and receptive language). He had physical weakness on one side of his body and needed to relearn how to walk. He continues to have limited use of his right hand.

12. How has your life changed since you became a caregiver? Is it better? Is it worse?

It’s really impossible to compare. My life since becoming a caregiver is far more complex and difficult. It’s required a lot of emotional growth and healing to let go of the life I had and the relationship I once shared with my spouse. This new life, however, is far richer in purpose and gratitude than it was before. I have a clearer sense of who I am, what I’m capable of, and how I want to spend my time on earth.

13. What do you miss the most from pre-brain-injury life?

I miss the sense of safety I once felt. I miss the easy conversation my husband and I once shared. (His aphasia makes communication much more effortful.)

14. What do you enjoy most in post-brain-injury life?

I enjoy the sense of gratitude I live with daily. I can identify and reflect on my blessings with clarity. It’s a wonderful thing to appreciate life as it’s happening.

15. What do you like least about brain injury?

The unpredictability. As a caregiver, I find that it’s difficult to align one’s expectations to the recovery of a loved one, as everything is always in flux and changing.

16. Has anything helped you to accept your survivor’s brain injury?

What’s helped me is the recognition that suffering is universal. My family and I were never exempt from life’s challenges and normalizing that experience of hardship has helped me make peace with its existence.

17. Has your survivor’s injury affected your home life and relationships and, if so, how?

Absolutely. While my husband’s personality is mostly unchanged, there are subtle changes that have required us to relearn each other as people. It has shifted the dynamics of responsibility and roles in the household.

18. Has your social life been altered or changed and, if so, how?

Yes, at first. But, we were fortunate to have many friends who stuck out the recovery process with us and with whom we still socialize. We are not as social as before, but we also have two young children these days.

19. What are your plans? What do you expect/hope to be doing ten years from now?

Praying for continued good health. TC has wonderful healthy habits, but we can’t control the aging process. If all goes well, in ten years, we’ll still be working and living at home with a 14-year-old daughter and a 20-year-old son at college!

Caregiver, Abby Maslin – author of “Love You Hard”

20. What advice would you offer other caregivers of brain-injury survivors? Do you have any other comments that you would like to add?

Be forgiving of yourself and your own process of grief. It cannot be rushed. The hand you’ve been dealt is a terribly unfair one, and it is OK to acknowledge the gravity of that fact. Life with brain injury requires persistence, patience, and a lot of hope, but life can be as beautiful and as rich as before.

 

Stay Safe and Healthy!

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(Photos compliments of contributor.)

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Survivors SPEAK OUT! . . . . Nolan McDonnell — Survivor of Brain Injury

Survivors SPEAK OUT! Nolan McDonnell

presented by

Donna O’Donnell Figurski

Survivor of Brain Injury – Nolan McDonnell

1. What is your name? (last name optional)

Nolan McDonnell

2. Where do you live? (city and/or state and/or country) Email (optional)

San Jose, California, USA     Nolan@CoachNolan.com

3. On what date did you have your brain injury? At what age?

My traumatic brain injury occurred on April 23, 2017, at the age of 31.

4. How did your brain injury occur?

I was the victim of a robbery. I was held at gunpoint and then shot in the head. My brain injury is bilateral, as the bullet went through both sides of my brain.

5. When did you (or someone) first realize you had a problem?

I was found in my car, which was riddled with bullet holes. I had an entrance wound in my skull from the bullet.

6. What kind of emergency treatment, if any, did you have?

I had seven blood transfusions, a craniotomy, and maybe some other things.

7. Were you in a coma? If so, how long?physical-activity-clipart-10

Yes – fifteen days.

8. Did you do rehab? What kind of rehab (i.e., inpatient or outpatient and occupational and/or physical and/or speech and/or other)? How long were you in rehab?

I have or had speech, occupational, physical, stretch, recreational, massage, and craniosacral therapies and acupuncture. It has been two and a half years now, and I put in eight hours a day, five days a week.

9. What problems or disabilities, if any, resulted from your brain injury
(e.g., balance, perception, personality, etc.)?

I was a paraplegic – I could not move from the neck down. I worked hard to overcome this, however. I still suffer from extreme spasticity, muscle imbalance, and minimal range of motion on the left side of my body, as well as in my legs.

10. How has your life changed? Is it better? Is it worse?

My life is better after my traumatic brain injury. Before the injury, I did not know how short, valuable, and fragile life is.

11. What do you miss the most from your pre-brain-injury life?

I miss skateboarding, making new friends at school, the freedom to get up and do anything I wanted at any given time, athletics, not having a caregiver, living alone, and having guests come over.

12. What do you enjoy most in your post-brain-injury life?

I like my perspective on and my valuing of both life and people. Life is so valuable to me now – more meaningful and beautiful.

13. What do you like least about your brain injury?

I love everything about my brain injury. Life is more important to me now.

14. Has anything helped you to accept your brain injury?

No

15. Has your injury affected your home life and relationships and, if so, how?

Yes. We had to make everything wheelchair-accessible, and someone always needs to be with me. Also, with my injury, I can’t get up and go make myself a sandwich or go to the store and get something that I want. Somebody needs to do those things for me. I am a lot more limited in that aspect, but it’s not a big deal if I plan ahead.

The biggest aspect about this question is addressing the invisible injury. People look at me and see that I’m strong, and they expect that, at any moment, I can just get up and start walking, hiking, or going on dates.

16. Has your social life been altered or changed and, if so, how?

Not really for me. I have always been a very social person, and my wheelchair is a great conversation starter! People come up all the time and ask me what happened. I am always making new friends.

17. Who is your main caregiver? Do you understand what it takes to be a caregiver?

My mother

18. What are your plans? What do you expect/hope to be doing ten years from now?

(not answered)

19. Are you able to provide a helpful hint that may have taken you a long time to learn, but which you wished you had known earlier? If so, please state what it is to potentially help other survivors with your specific kind of brain injury.

This is a tough question because no two injuries are the same, but I will share my input and what worked for me to get my legs strong again.

Learning how to use my legs has been especially difficult. My parents bought an assist-bar at Home Depot and mounted it to the wall, a little below chest height. I can use my wheelchair to wheel up to the bar and practice standing up, do squats, stand up, and let go and learn how to balance.

Another great thing that I would love to share is to go to your local community college and check out adaptive PE (physical education) classes. The community colleges by my house have adaptive PE – they have standing frames and parallel bars, and all of the equipment and workout-machines are wheelchair-accessible. Adaptive PE programs usually have water classes as well.

20. What advice would you offer to other brain-injury survivors? Do you have any other comments that you would like to add?

Nolan McDonnell – Survivor of Brain Injury

I would suggest that other brain injury survivors take initiative and demonstrate that they want to help themselves because that will encourage support from other people. Also, always continue doing exercises and stretching. Try to increase your range of motion, and workout constantly. Fitness creates a mind-body connection and promotes new neurological pathways. Additionally, if you take care of yourself physically, you tend to eat better – and proper nutrition is very important for a healthy brain.

 

Stay Safe and Healthy!

Clip Art compliments of Bing.)

(Photos compliments of contributor.)

As I say after each post:

Please leave a comment by clicking the blue words “Leave a Comment” below this post.

Feel free to follow my blog. Click on “Follow” on the upper right sidebar.anim0014-1_e0-1

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COVID-19 — It’s Everywhere . . . Drug Breakthrough Significantly Prevents COVID-19 Deaths

Drug Breakthrough Significantly Prevents COVID-19 Deaths

by

Columbia University Professor Emeritus, Dr. David Figurski

presented by

Donna O’Donnell Figurski

 

(Disclaimer: The World Health Organization <WHO> has officially named the new coronavirus as SARS-CoV-2 and the disease it causes as COVID-19. Because the majority of people, including much of the press, commonly refer to the virus as “COVID-19,” to avoid confusion I use COVID-19 as the name of the virus in these posts.)

COVID-19

David H. Figurski, Ph.D & Survivor of Brain Injury

Research at the University of Oxford in England showed for the first time that a drug prevented a major fraction of deaths in severely sick patients with COVID-19.

Dexamethasone was found in a large clinical trial to cause a significant reduction in deaths. It can be prescribed as pills, and it is a common, readily available, and relatively inexpensive drug

A major problem after infection by COVID-19 is that the immune response of some individuals is too aggressive (often causing what’s called a “cytokine storm”) and can lead to death. Because dexamethasone is a steroid that dampens the immune response, the prediction was that it might help to prevent deaths by COVID-19.

The research showed that it does.

There are about 3 deaths for every 8 patients on ventilators.  Dexamethasone treatment reduced those deaths by one-third.  So, 1 death would be prevented for every 8 patients on ventilators.  About 5 deaths occur in every 25 patients on oxygen only. Dexamethasone treatment reduced those deaths by one-fifth, or about 1 less death for every 25 patients on oxygen only. Dexamethasone treatment had no effect on patients not on ventilators or receiving oxygen only.

Given that a major fraction of the over 118,000 deaths in the US so far (at 6:00 pm ET on June 18, 2020) were on ventilators or oxygen only, dexamethasone treatment is predicted to prevent many deaths.

The UK’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, said: “This is a ground-breaking development in our fight against the disease, and the speed at which researchers have progressed finding an effective treatment is truly remarkable.”

 

Stay Safe and Healthy!

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Past Blast – TBI TALES . . . . . . What’s Really Important

What’s Really Important

(previously published on February 14, 2015)

 by

 Kayla Bradberry Knight

(presented by Donna O’Donnell Figurski)

 

Kayla Bradberry KnightLast year on February 13, my husband, Wyatt, took me out for a Valentine’s Day dinner. He and the kids gave me cards that morning. I was on cloud nine. Who would have thought that five days later my husband would be fighting for his life and our families would be turned upside down?valentine-s-day-clip-art

God has taught me many lessons this year. Most of all, I’ve learned that earthly possessions mean nothing. Sure, they make one happy for a while. But no gift, flower bouquet, or box of chocolates could take the place of what I have today. My husband is still here! Oh, how happy it makes me to be able to say that!

He may not realize that it’s even Valentine’s Day. Nor will he walk through the door with a gift, BUT I still get to hug him. The kids and I still get to tell him how much we love him. That, my friends, is irreplaceable. Don’t just sign that sweet card or have those beautiful flowers delivered. Show that person how much he or she means…not just today, but every day!Love Every Day

 

(Disclaimer: The views or opinions in this post are solely that of the author.)

If you have a story to share and would like to be a part of the SPEAK OUT! project, please submit your TBI Tale to me at donnaodonnellfigurski@gmail.com. I will publish as many stories as I can.

 

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Past Blasts

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Survivors SPEAK OUT! . . . Alisa Marie

Survivors SPEAK OUT! . . . Alisa Marie

presented

by Donna O’Donnell Figurski

Survivor of Brain Injury
Alisa Marie

1. What is your name? (last name optional)

Alisa Marie

2. Where do you live? (city and/or state and/or country) Email (optional)

New Hampshire, USA

Truecolorsartist@gmail.com

3. On what date did you have your brain injury? At what age?

October and November 2012

But, my very first concussion was in 1998. I was 30 years old. 

4. How did your brain injury occur?

tenor

The event in October 2012 was a fall caused by vertigo. In November 2012, I was cleaning under the pool deck. I went to get up and banged my head, causing me to be knocked out. I don’t remember what happened in 1998.

5. When did you (or someone) first realize you had a problem?

My boyfriend at the time found me unconscious under the pool deck.

6. What kind of emergency treatment, if any, did you have?

I was taken to the Emergency Room, and I had rehab. I had to live with my parents for a while because they had to take care of me. I thought it was the year 2005 and my children were 5 and 10, but it was 2012 and they were 13 and 18. Also, I was going through a divorce, and my house was in foreclosure.

7. Were you in a coma? If so, how long?

No

8. Did you do rehab? What kind of rehab (i.e., inpatient or outpatient and occupational and/or physical and/or speech and/or other)?

I had occupational and physical therapies as an outpatient and speech therapy both as an outpatient and as an inpatient.

– How long were you in rehab?

I’m not sure because I’ve been in a lot of rehabs for head injuries. I was in three in 2015. My last rehab was in 2018, as my last concussion was in 2017. (I slipped on clothes on my floor because my perception was off.)

9. What problems or disabilities, if any, resulted from your brain injury(e.g., balance, perception, personality, etc.)?

I struggle with many issues: balance, perception, personality, cognitive and executive functioning, memory, staying on task, aphasia, and impulsivity. It’s hard to make decisions and hard to be organized. I lost my independence. I lost my license for cognitive reasons back in December 2013.

Alisa Marie – Brain Injury Survivor

10. How has your life changed? Is it better? Is it worse?

I’m an artist, designer, and poet. I am also trying to have my own business, Alisa’s True Colors. I began melting Crayola crayons in 2013 when Emily, my younger daughter, showed me how to apply wax to canvas using a blow dryer and a fork.

This was helping me as art therapy, where I could take physical and emotional pain and turn it into something colorful and bright. It was all I could focus on for a while. I didn’t know it then, but the seeds of Alisa’s True Colors were being planted. It helped me learn and adapt to the new me. I was creating my ability out of my disability.

11. What do you miss the most from your pre-brain-injury life?

Freedom and independence

12. What do you enjoy most in your post-brain-injury life?

I have come to realize that we hold within ourselves the power to heal. I have learned we don’t need a superhero to save us; we need to be our own hero in our own story. We need not to be afraid to chase after our dreams. And, if one door closes keep looking for the open ones.

I am learning happiness, calmness, and patience. I am accepting the new me, and, with my limitations, I am finding new ways to adapt. I have let go of the past and my old ways of thinking of what I believed of myself.

I have gained wisdom, knowledge, self-confidence, and the courage to look fear in the eyes – to truly know that being a survivor means being a fighter and not to give up no matter how dark my world gets.

I want to awaken others to their true colors by helping them accept their new life after trauma – to help them heal through art.

13. What do you like least about your brain injury?

I dislike that I can’t stay on task or stay organized. I am forgetful, and I talk strange sometimes because I can’t remember the right word. I regret the loss of close family and friends who don’t understand.

14. Has anything helped you to accept your brain injury?

Art and poetry 🙂 

15. Has your injury affected your home life and relationships and, if so, how?

For a few years, I lost what empathy was. My emotions were all over the place. I had a lot of anger and resentment in me. You find your own “True Colors” with a brain injury or from a trauma where it can get very confusing when you are trying to find your true self. Unfortunately, the sad truth is that sometimes you see the “True Colors” of your loved ones. We can look fine on the outside, but no one can see our brain on the inside all messed up trying to find a new way of living.

16. Has your social life been altered or changed and, if so, how?

Yes. I have social anxiety at times, and I’m embarrassed when I talk and can’t find the words or when I can’t stay on task.

17. Who is your main caregiver? Do you understand what it takes to be a caregiver?

Me, myself. and I

18. What are your plans? What do you expect/hope to be doing ten years from now?

I hope to travel around the world with my story and products and to teach my art. And, I hope to also donate money to the Brain Injury Association of New Hampshire and other non-profit organizations.

I had to lose everything from suffering traumatic brain injuries due to repeated head injuries. I also had to deal with being diagnosed with viral meningitis in March 2015. Then in the year 2016, I lost my home, and all my personal belongings were discarded because of toxic environmental illnesses. I’m surviving by designing.

19. Are you able to provide a helpful hint that may have taken you a long time to learn, but which you wished you had known earlier? If so, please state what it is to potentially help other survivors with your specific kind of brain injury.

This isn’t the ending to your life; it’s a new beginning. We all are creative. So, you just must keep trying new things, whether it be writing, poetry, drawing, photography, ceramics, embroidery, knitting, singing, or dancing. There is so much you can do – you are not your disability or a diagnosis a doctor gives you. I never gave up hope. I kept learning and reaching for my dreams when all I saw was darkness

20. What advice would you offer to other brain-injury survivors? Do you have any other comments that you would like to add?

Every struggle, every life-lesson is a gift because it makes you go deeper into yourself to find your “true colors” – your inner strength, courage, wisdom, and confidence.

I want others to see and know that there is beauty in the darkness, that there is beauty in your pain and tears and heartache. There is beauty in the ashes. There is a rainbow after the storm. I hope people see my True Colors as a message of hope and faith and love, to give them the hope and courage and strength to show it is possible to overcome the battles we endure in this lifetime.

I never went to art school. I have no degree – just education from repeated concussions and my life-situations. My art saved my life and is continuing to do. It helps with built-up resentment, emotions, grief, and physical pain. Art teaches that you are a new person after your injury, and it teaches how to adapt to your new life. Art is my therapy. I take the physical and emotional pain I feel and I turn it into something beautiful and bright on the canvas.

3 Alisa Marie

Never give up!

To learn more about Alisa Marie, check out her website at Alisa’s True Colors.

(Clip Art compliments of Bing.)

(Photos compliments of contributor.)

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Survivors SPEAK OUT!

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SPEAK OUT! Itty-Bitty GIANT Steps

SPEAK OUT! Itty-Bitty Giant Steps

presented by

Donna O’Donnell Figurski

 

Itty-Bitty GIant Steps for Blog

SPEAK OUT! Itty-Bitty Giant Steps will provide a venue for brain-injury survivors and caregivers to shout out their accomplishments of the week.

If you have an Itty-Bitty Giant Step and you would like to share it, just send an email to me at donnaodonnellfigurski@gmail.com.

If you are on Facebook, you can simply send a Private Message to me. It need only be a sentence or two. I’ll gather the accomplishments and post them with your name on my blog approximately once a week. (If you do not want your last name to be posted, please tell me in your email or Private Message.)

I hope we have millions of Itty-Bitty Giant Steps.

 

Sherrie Crusha – Brain Injury Survivor

Sherrie Crusha (survivor) … I haven’t been able to draw a whole picture since my TBI (traumatic brain injury), 31 years ago. I did my best one yet a couple of days ago.

Drawing by Sherrie Crusha

 

(Clip Art compliments of Bing.)

(Photos compliments of contributor.)

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Itty-Bitty GIANT Step

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TBI Tales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A Friend? The Need for Better Understanding of Brain Injury

A Friend?
The Need for Better Understanding of Brain Injury
by
Alan Gregory

presented
by
Donna O’Donnell Figurski

Alan Gregory 1

Alan Gregory Brain Injury Survivor

 

I was working at my minimum-wage, 3- to 4-hours-per-day job when an old friend came in. He asked why I was working there and not at my former job. (I had been an accountant at a large manufacturing firm – a job I held for more than 30 years.) I told him I lost my job after I suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Of course, my friend didn’t know what a TBI was, so I explained it to him. He then assumed I must have been in a car accident. But, when I explained to him that I had slipped on ice and landed on my head, he rolled his eyes and moved on.

I wanted to grab him and tell him, “Yes, it’s true, and it totally messed up my life!”clipart-of-person-slipping-on-ice-7

I deal with my brain injury every day. I struggle with the fact that I can no longer financially support my family. Some days, I have to force myself to get up, after I have bounced around the house all night with my head not allowing me to sleep. I used to have a great, salaried job, at which I usually worked ten hours per day. Now, I can barely work a total of ten hours in a week. Ugh!

I honestly wonder what my friend’s reaction would have been if I had told him that I had a heart attack or a stroke or even cancer. I am sure that his reaction would have been sympathetic and understanding with an offer of “If I can do anything …”

k23633524

A little understanding and compassion go a long way.

Well, I don’t want his sympathy. We have survived these past two years without his help. A simple dose of understanding would have been preferable, rather than the perplexed look, the sudden turn and walk away, or the “Yeah, right” head shake that we survivors of brain injury all too often get from others.

 

 

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TBI Tales

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